Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero, which is a Chinese-style spelling bee(拼写大赛). In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.
Perhaps the show’s popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy(书法)to be one of their primary contributions to civilization. Unfortunately, all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet. The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It’s possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.
But there’s still hope for the paint brush. China’s Education Ministry wants children to spend more time learning how to write.
In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practice calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. Soft music plays as a group of six-year-olds dip brush pens into black ink. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher’s examples before carefully attempting to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now?” we ask the calligraphy teacher, Shen Bin. “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture,” she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don’t forget when they grow up.” says the teacher. What can we learn about the Character Hero?
| A．It’s open to people of all ages and all walks. |
| B．It’s the most-viewed TV programs in China. |
| C．It aims to spread Chinese culture to the world. |
| D．It draws great public attention across the country. |
Why are Chinese people forgetting how to write the characters?
| A．Chinese people don’t refer to dictionaries very often. |
| B．Chinese people no longer use brush pens or practice calligraphy. |
| C．Chinese people are using the Latin alphabet instead of the characters. |
| D．Chinese people needn’t write by hand as often with the help of technology. |
According to Shen Bin, being able to write characters by hand is_________.
| A．necessary for adults to survive in China |
| B．a requirement made by the Education Ministry |
| C．helpful to keep Chinese tradition and culture alive |
| D．an ability to be developed only when you are students |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A news report. | B．A science report. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．Children’s literature. |
Everyone needs friends. There is an old saying, “Friends are God’s way of taking care of us.” But how do you find real friendship and keep it?
The American writer Sally Seamans tells young students some smart ways to find friends. Sally says finding friendship is just like planting a tree. You plant the seed and take care of it to make it grow.
First, you should choose a friend. What makes a good friend? It is not because a person has money or good looks. A good friend should be kind and patient. For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should listen to your complaints and do his or her best to help. To make a friend, you cannot be too shy. You should make each other happy and share your lives.
But things cannot always he happy. Even the best friends have fights. What should you do when you have a fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her. When there is no one around, have an honest talk. If he or she doesn’t want to talk, you could write a letter.
There are three steps to being friends again:
Tell him or her how you are feeling; say what your friend has done wrong, and explain why you did this or that. Remember that friendship is the most important thing in your life.Sally wants to tell students the ways to ____.
| A．find friends | B．plant trees | C．get happy | D．keep fit |
What makes good friends? A good friend should ______.
| A．be lovely and cool | B．be kind and patient |
| C．have lots of money | D．have good looks |
According to the text, you can _____ your friend after a fight.
| A．buy a present for | B．never say a word to |
| C．have dinner with | D．write a letter to |
What is the best title of the text?
| A．Teenagers and friendship | B．The good friends around you |
| C．The trouble of growing up | D．The care and keeping of friends |
A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages．
The theme: The main theme is a teenage research of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age．Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries．As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more．You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going．”
The characters: James is the hero of the story．He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母)．Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother．The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically．
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother．The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie．It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there．
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother．With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found．James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels．The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel．He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before．Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness．As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending．Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home．”What is the main theme of the novel?
| A．A journey of self-discovery． |
| B．Life in the world of diving． |
| C．Life with foster parents． |
| D．A travel around the country． |
What do the coach’s words in Paragraph 2 suggest?
| A．James is a successful diver． |
| B．James is an independent young man． |
| C．James is an outgoing young man． |
| D．James is a hopeful swimmer． |
The snake stone in the novel is ．
| A．a stone with an address on it |
| B．a gift from the swimming coach |
| C．a clue left by the birth mother |
| D．a fossil left by the foster parents |
Which of the following is true about the novel?
| A．The story has a sad ending． |
| B．The story takes place in the city of London． |
| C．The characters are vividly described． |
| D．The turning point comes after the hero meets his birth mother． |
It can be concluded that James’ journey is _________．
| A．disappointing | B．boring |
| C．comfortable | D．worthwhile |
How hard we have all prayed(祈祷) to grow up quickly, and looked forward to the happy days of being a grown-up and enjoying the many interests that a youth should have.
At last, you have grown up. At least you are no longer a child. They call you “young lady”. You then enjoy the pleasure of being a young lady. You are proud of being a grown-up teenager. People welcome you-this young lady-heartily. You are glad that your prayer has been answered.
But there is always something that troubles you a lot. You say; “Papa and Mama, give me some money please. My pocket money is all gone already.”
“No”, they say, “your age is a dangerous age. If you have too much money to spend, it won’t do you any good.” Then you have to stay at home because you dare not go out with an empty pocket.
Another time you tell your grandma, “Grandma, see, I am a grown-up now.
“Good, now, you can sit here and knit (编织) this for me while I go and have a rest.” To show that you are no more a child, you have to sit there the whole afternoon doing the work, which only a grown-up can do. After an hour, you find it hard to do, and give the knitting basket back to your grandma. Your grandma criticizes your work. You hear what she says, “Such a big girl can’t do such easy work.” You wish then you were a child again.
But the fact is, you are growing up, and you can’t help it. That’s the way it goes!The passage is told about _______ problems.
| A．a growing-up boy’s | B．a teenage girl’s |
| C．an old woman’s | D．a grown-up’s |
It is clear that the writer, as a teenager, ________.
| A．is pleased with the present life |
| B．is unhappy about growing up |
| C．doesn’t think her present life happy enough |
| D．knows happy life will come to her soon |
How does she know her prayer has been answered?
| A．People treat her as a young lady. |
| B．She is no longer a kid. |
| C．People begin to call her teenager. |
| D．She can join women in all kinds of activities. |
From what her parents say, we know _________.
| A．they don’t believe she is already a teenager |
| B．it’s dangerous for a girl to spend money |
| C．they love her more than before |
| D．they still regard her as a child |
Having heard her grandma’s criticism, _________.
| A．she has to lie in bed, doing nothing |
| B．she knows she has already worked the whole afternoon |
| C．she wishes she were not growing up |
| D．she finds it isn’t her turn to do knitting |
The Chinese word"Shanzhai" means a small mountain village， but now it becomes an accepted name for fakes(假货) after" Shanzhai cell phones " produced by small workshops in southern China ，became popular in the mainland market over the past few years.
Besides" Shanzhai" electronic products， there are "Shanzhai" movies， "Shanzhai" stars and even a "Shanzhai" Spring Festival Gala， a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve.
" Shanzhai" has become a culture of its own，symbolizing anything that imitates something famous.
The phenomenon has caused a public debate over whether it is healthy or sick being a copycat.
In southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality，a "Shanzhai" -version"Bird’s Nest" woven by farmers with bamboo attracts wide attention and the"Shanzhai"-version "Water Cube"is popular with tourists too. Both are copies of the famous Olympics buildings in Beijing.
Xie Xizhang，a literature critic，said that taking the "Shanzhai" Gala as an example， when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience， the "Shanzhai" version appears naturally to attract people.
"In spite of its poor techniques and operation， ‘Shanzhai’ culture meets the psychological demands of common people and could be a comfort to their minds," Xie said.
Tian Huiqun，a professor at Beijing Normal University，said that "Shanzhai" culture never copies classic things，only trendy products. In that sense，it's like a computer virus， multiplying without meaning.
Though controversial，"Shanzhai" culture is becoming a widely accepted phenomenon.
"To the mainstream culture, the rise of ‘Shanzhai' culture is a challenge as well as a motivation，" said Xie.
Tian said different kinds of cultures developing together is an ideal situation and it is for the public to choose. The Chinese word "Shanzhai" may have its origin in .
| A．fake cell phones | B．electronic products |
| C．Spring Festival Gala | D．Olympics buildings |
The underlined word "imitates" is closest in meaning to
| A．steals | B．copies | C．advertises | D．cheats |
According to the passage，"Shanzhai" culture refers to .
| A．the action that a person imitates famous people |
| B．anything that imitates something famous |
| C．those similar names to famous brands |
| D．products with poor techniques and quality |
According to Xie Xizhang ,the mainstream culture .
| A．will be held back by "Shanzhai"culture |
| B．will sooner or later be replaced by "Shanzhai" culture |
| C．may develop faster because of the challenging of "Shanzhai" culture |
| D．thinks nothing of the challenge of"Shanzhai"culture |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．" Shanzhai" culture will definitely fade out |
| B．"Shanzhai" culture-the mountain village culture |
| C．"Shanzhai" culture-the mainstream culture |
| D．"Shanzhai" culture takes on life of its own |
Many children use the Internet to get useful knowledge and information, and to relax in their free time. But some of them are not using it in a good way. Here are some rules to make sure you are safe and have fun on the Internet.
※Make rules for Internet use with your parents. For example, when you can go online, for how long and what activities you can do online.
※Don’t give your password（密码）to anyone else, and never give out the following information: your real name, home address, age, school, phone number or other personal information.
※Check with your parents before giving out a credit（信用）card number.
※Never send a photo of yourself to someone in email unless your parents say it’s OK.
※Check with your parents before going into a chat（聊天）room. Different chat rooms have different rules and attract different kinds of people. You and your parents will want to make sure it’s a right place for you.
※Never agree to meet someone you met on the Internet without your parent’s permission（允许）. Never meet anyone you met online alone.
※Always remember that people online may not be who they say they are. Treat everyone online as if they were strangers.
※If something you see or read online makes you uncomfortable, leave the site. Tell a parent or teacher right away.
※Treat other people as you’d like to be treated. Never use bad language.
※Remember - not everything you read on the Internet is true.The writer tells children to _________.
| A．send their own photos to him |
| B．make rules for Internet use with parents |
| C．believe everything they read on the Internet |
| D．give out their personal information |
It’s good for children to ______ on the Internet.
| A．give password to others |
| B．get useful knowledge and information |
| C．give out a credit card number |
| D．go into a chat room as they’d like to |
What shouldn’t be done when you are on line? _________
| A．Using bad language |
| B．Sending messages and emails |
| C．Leaving the site if you feel uncomfortable |
| D．Treating everyone online as strangers |
If your parents don’t agree, never ________.
| A．read anything on the Internet |
| B．relax in your free time |
| C．have a face-to-face meeting with anyone you met online |
| D．treat other people as you’d like to be treated |
The passage is mainly about _________ .
| A．How to use computers | B．Surfing on the Internet |
| C．Information on the Internet | D．Internet safety rules |
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